Can



Dec. 13,1949 sEBELL 2,490,888

CAN

Filed NOV. 18, 1946 INVENTOR. Harry Se bell BY Patented Dec. 13 1949 UNITED S A S OF WE CANT.

Harry Sebell, Wihnington, Mass assignor to Bell Froducts Corporation, fioston, Mass a corporation of Massachusetts ApplicationNovember 18, 19%); Serial No. 7 19,51 8

whim.- 1

This invention. relatesto, .cans or containers of the type which are constructed to be opened by tearing out a tear-strip from the top portion of the can body thereby to separate the can end from the can body, and. which are also so constructed that after the can has been opened, the can end can be replaced on the can body thereby to close the can again with a tight friction fit.

.One .of the objects of the invention is to pro,- vide a can of .this type in which the replacing of thecan endor can cover .on the can after .the can has. once been opened will seal the can just as tightly as it was before the tear-strip was removed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can of this type which is so constructed that when the tear-strip has been removed to open the can, the .cover will be connected to the can body by a hinge portion, and is also so construct.- ed that when the hinged cover is closed again after the can :has been once opened, said cover will have thesame position on the can body as it. had before the can was opened and. Will b occupying a .plane at right angles to the axis of the can.

Aifurther object of the invention-is, to provide an .improvedcan of this .type in which the vcylin-. drical friction surfaces. of the.can.and.COVe.r .Will be protected from being distorted .or deformed by the operation of prying-thescover loose from the can when the can is first opened.

Further objects .of the invention willbe anparent from .the following .-description, and the novel features of the. invention will be pointed out .in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating a can embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the collar element shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows the collar element inserted into the open end of the can body prior to its being beaded thereto.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view to more clearly illustrate the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, -I indicates the can body and 2 is the can end closure, the peripheral edge of which is permanently secured to the upper edge of the can body I by any suitable means such as the double lock seam II.

Situated within the can body I near its upper end is a collar element 60 which is made of sheet metal that is folded or deformed to present the outer cylindrical wall 6! which fits against the (01.. gall-+5 interior face of the can body I and the inner cylindrical wall 62 spaced from the outer 'wall" GI which forms a flat cylindrical face adapted to receive the end closure element 2 with a tight friction fit. The face or'wall .62 of the collar is seamless. The collar may be formed by first providing a cylindrical band of sheet metal then bending the band inwardly as shown at 63 and then downwardly toprovide the cylindrical face 52above referred to,'the edge of the band being bent outwardly as shown at B4 to 'meet the body of the band. This provides a collar having a tubular structure with two parallel cylindrical walls ti and 62 and horizontal top and bottom walls (iii-and 64.

The lower edgeof the band is rolled inwardly toprovide the bead or wire edge 65.

The collar constructed as shown in Fig. 2 is of a size to fit tightly within the upper end of the body I as shown in Fig. '3, and said collar is located within the can body at a suitable distance belowits top edge.

This collar "may be hermetically sealed to the wall ofthe'ca'n body ;I in various ways without departing from the invention.

One way is to-bead the portion of the wall 6I between the wire edge 65 and the bottom wall 6d of the tubula'r portion to the wall of the can bodyas-shown at 56, this'being a familiar method of attachinga collar to a can body.

The cover or'end' closure 2 is formed to present a vertical cylindrical wall I2 which is of a size'to fit within the inner wall 62 0f the collar with a tight friction fit, and the material forming the cover directly above" the'wall I2 extends upwardly and outward-1y over "the top of the collar 60 as indicated at 5-! "till it meets the sidewall of the can body I at a slight distance above the bead. 'Ifhepoiftioni'ofthe can cover above the outwardly inclinedportionYBI f extends vertically in contact with the inner wallof the can body and the peripheral edge of :the'can cover is permanently secured to'thetopedge of the can body I' by the lock seam I I orin any other known way.

The side-wallof the can body is provided with two score lines I5 and 1,6 which extend circumferentiallyof'tm can body and which form betweenfthema tear strip I?! which may be tornoutftoopenthe'ean in a well-known way. If

it is'des'ired to*provide a can in which the cover element will remain hinged to the can body after the tear-strip has been removed, then the score lines I5, I 6 will extend nearly, but not entirely about the can body, thereby leaving an unscored portion of the can body between the ends of the score lines which constitutes a hinge connection between the can cover and the can body, this being a well known expedient for providing a. can of the type which is opened by tearing out a tear-strip with a cover that remains hinged to the can body after the tear-strip has been removed.

The upper score line is located immediately below the lock joint H and the score line l6 will be located no higher than the top of the collar and preferably slightly below the top.

The construction wherein the collar has the flat top face 83 and the can end is made with the upwardly and outwardly inclined portion 6'! above the top of the collar, provides an annular groove or space 69 to receive the edge of a screw-driver or other similar tool for prying the can cover free from its frictional engagement with the collar thereby to open the can after the tear-strip has been removed.

In prying the cover element free from the collar the end of the prying implement is inserted into the groove or space 68 and the prying operation is accomplished by bearing downwardly on the handle end of the implement and using the corner if! of the collar as a fulcrum. The end of the screw driver or other prying implement will be in engagement with the portion 6'1 of the cover element close to the inner corner '12 of the collar and, as stated above, during the prying operation the screw driver or other implement fulcrums on the outer corner 18 of the collar.

An advantageous result of this operation is that the prying action does not tend to distort in any way the cylindrical surface 62 of the collar with which the cover has a tight friction fit and the lifting force is applied to the cover closely adjacent the cylindrical wall 52, the engagement of which with the wall 82 of the collar provides the resistance to be overcome in removing the cover element. This construction is one which makes the operation of prying the cover or can end out from the collar a relatively easy one which can be readily performed by any housewife.

When the end cover 2 is in place, the portion ll thereof rests against the inner corner E2 of the collar. After the can has once been opened, the cover can be replaced on the can, and when so replaced, the vertical wall f2 thereof will have the same tight friction fit with the inner face 62 of the collar as it had before the can was opened. I-fence with my invention, the can can be tightly sealed again after it has been opened. Furthermore, when the can end 2 is replaced on the can body, said can end will have the same position relative to the collar as it had before the can was opened, that is, it will have a position in which the portion H of the can end rests against the inner corner 72 of the collar. The can end in its replaced condition will, therefore, occupy a plane at right angles to the axis of the can, a position which insures the tight friction fit between the wall [2 of the cover and the face 82 of the collar.

My invention herein disclosed is useful in cans designed to contain a wide variety of different materials but has a special advantage when used in a can containing paint. A can embodying this invention will be hermetically sealed before it is opened and after it has been opened and ber loosening implement inserted some of the paint has been removed from the can, the replacing of the cover on the can will seal it again as tightly as it was sealed before the can was opened, thereby preventing the paint in the can from oxidizing.

Furthermore, the improved can is constructed so that it does not present any appreciable interior shoulder at the top end of the can to interfere with pouring the paint or other liquid in the can freely therefrom. Then again, when the can is opened and the cover is swung into its open position, any paint or other liquid adhering to the under side of the cover will run down the cover and will be guided back into the can by the deformed portion 22 of the cover.

I claim:

A can comprising a can body, a collar element positioned within the can body near its top and secured to the wall thereof, said collar element being made of sheet metal bent to present an outer vertical cylindrical wall in engagement with the wall of the can body, a flat horizontal top wall extending at right angles to the outer vertical wall, a vertical inner cylindrical wall .1 parallel to but spaced from the outer cylindrical wall and a lower wall extending from the lower edge of the inner wall to the outer wall, a can end member having its peripheral edge permanently secured to the top edge of the can body, said end member having a vertical cylindrical wall which engages the entire surface of the inner cylindrical wall of the collar element with a tight friction fit, the portion of the end member immediately above the vertical wall thereof being bent over the inner upper corner of the collar and upwardly and outwardly into engagement with the wall of the can body, thereby to form with the fiat horizontal top wall of the collar a V-groove, said can body having two parallel spaced score lines forming between them a tear-strip which can be torn out to open the can, the lower score line being located no higher than the top of the collar element and the upper score line bein located sufficiently above the lower score line to expose said V-groove when the tear-strip is torn out, the junction of the flat horizontal top wall and the outer vertical cylindrical wall of the collar element constituting a sharp edged fulcrum for an end meminto said groove and having its inner end bearing against the inner part of the upwardly and outwardly directed portion of said end member and used for prying said end member from the collar, said fulcrum being located in line with the outer face of the outer vertical wall of the collar.

HARRY SEBELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

